Prenatal identification of i(YP) by molecular cytogenetic analysis

An i(Yp) is a rare marker chromosome. We present a case of de novo 46,X,i(Yp) detected prenatally in an amniotic fluid specimen. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies using a panel of Y-specific biotinylated DNA probes identified the marker chromosome as i(Yp). Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) studies further confirmed the diagnosis. Upon pregnancy termination, external examination of the fetus revealed a generally well-developed male fetus with slight facial dysmorphism and prominent rocker-bottom feet. The molecular cytogenetic data in this case proved very useful in genetic counselling and served as a good example illustrating the important role of molecular techniques for accurate identification of marker chromosomes.     

Being trusted: How team generational age diversity promotes and undermines trust in cross‐boundary relationships

We examine how demographic context influences the trust that boundary spanners experience in their dyadic relationships with clients. Because of the salience of age as a demographic characteristic as well as the increasing prevalence of age diversity and intergenerational conflict in the workplace, we focus on team age diversity as a demographic social context that affects trust between boundary spanners and their clients. Using social categorization theory and theories of social capital, we develop and test our contextual argument that a boundary spanner's experience of being trusted is influenced by the social categorization processes that occur in dyadic interactions with a specific client and, simultaneously, by similar social categorization processes that influence the degree to which the client team as a whole serves as a cooperative resource for demographically similar versus dissimilar boundary spanner–client dyads. Using a sample of 168 senior boundary spanners from the consulting industry, we find that generational diversity among client team members from a client organization undermines the perception of being trusted within homogeneous boundary spanner–client dyads while it enhances the perception of being trusted within heterogeneous dyads. The perception of being trusted is an important aspect of cross‐boundary relationships because it influences coordination and the costs associated with coordination. © 2015 The Author Journal of Organizational Behavior Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Feeding ecology of five fishes from the mid-slope micronekton community off southern Tasmania, Australia

We examine the feeding ecology of characteristic micronekton species inhabiting the mid-slope region (~700 to 1,500 m depths) off southern Tasmania. Five fishes, Diaphus danae, Hygophum hanseni, Lampanyctus australis (Myctophidae), Phosichthys argenteus (Phosichthyidae) and Chauliodus sloani (Chauliodontidae), were sampled by depth-stratified midwater trawling on a diel and seasonal basis. Overall, 74 prey taxa were identified from 2,132 stomachs. Euphausiids (mostly Euphausia spinifera and E. similis) and calanoid copepods (mostly Pleuromamma species) were the main prey of the three myctophids; P. argenteus ate fishes and decapods in addition to the euphausiids, while C. sloani ate only fishes. Copepods were less important in the diets of larger D. danae, L. australis and P. argenteus and were replaced by euphausiids in the myctophids and by fishes in P. argenteus. In autumn, when euphausiid biomass increased six-fold, all three myctophids and P. argenteus fed most intensively and consumed a high proportion of euphausiids. The three myctophids appeared to feed nocturnally. Differences in the timing and duration of feeding corresponded to differences in their spatio-temporal overlap with key prey. Daily rations of H. hanseni (1.93% dry-weight biomass) and L. australis (1.43%), estimated from data on stomach fullness, were typical for temperate myctophids and higher than that of the non-migratory P. argenteus (0.43%). The vertical flux of near-surface plankton production to the mesopelagic food web is based primarily on diel feeding in the upper water column (<500 m) rather than consumption of species that migrate seasonally into the deeper mesopelagic zone. Because species such as P. argenteus and C. sloani feed above the third trophic level, their predators, including the commercially important orange roughy, are feeding between levels four and five.     

Book reviews

ESSENTIALS OF CRYSTALLOGRAPHY by Duncan McKie and Christine McKie, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1986, 437 pp, £25.00 bound, £12.95 paper.     

Community-based observing networks and systems in the Arctic: Human perceptions of environmental change and instrument-derived data

Regional Environmental Change - Many papers have addressed the differing approaches to observation by scientists collecting instrumented data and by community or local knowledge-based observations....     

The value of flexibility in conservation financing

Land‐acquisition strategies employed by conservation organizations vary in their flexibility. Conservation‐planning theory largely fails to reflect this by presenting models that are either extremely inflexible—parcel acquisitions are irreversible and budgets are fixed—or extremely flexible—previously acquired parcels can readily be sold. This latter approach, the selling of protected areas, is infeasible or problematic in many situations. We considered the value to conservation organizations of increasing the flexibility of their land‐acquisition strategies through their approach to financing deals. Specifically, we modeled 2 acquisition‐financing methods commonly used by conservation organizations: borrowing and budget carry‐over. Using simulated data, we compared results from these models with those from an inflexible fixed‐budget model and an extremely flexible selling model in which previous acquisitions could be sold to fund new acquisitions. We then examined 3 case studies of how conservation organizations use borrowing and budget carry‐over in practice. Model comparisons showed that borrowing and budget carry‐over always returned considerably higher rewards than the fixed‐budget model. How they performed relative to the selling model depended on the relative conservation value of past acquisitions. Both the models and case studies showed that incorporating flexibility through borrowing or budget carry‐over gives conservation organizations the ability to purchase parcels of higher conservation value than when budgets are fixed without the problems associated with the selling of protected areas.     

Environmental risk assessment; a case study of the Colhuw Beach revetment on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Wales

A newly constructed coastal revetment at Colhuw Beach in the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Wales, UK, was analysed using a recently developed environmental risk assessment package (ERA). Conflict with Heritage Coast conservation objectives is apparent and the act of building such a structure is questioned for a location where maintenance ofnatural beauty is an axiom of the coastal management philosophy. The likelyhood of revetment related environmental consequences of significant magnitude was analysed using estimated probability values derived from Bayesian theory. The damaging impact of the structure on the natural environment is out of all proportion to the level of storm protection afforded to the site. Analyses, such as carried out via ERA, would have shown planners, engineers and environmentalists, the inadequacies of such an investment and management strategy. The ERA approach can help to introduce greater clarity and consistency into decision making processes.     

Environmental risk assessment; a case study of the Colhuw Beach revetment on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Wales

A newly constructed coastal revetment at Colhuw Beach in the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Wales, UK, was analysed using a recently developed environmental risk assessment package (ERA). Conflict with Heritage Coast conservation objectives is apparent and the act of building such a structure is questioned for a location where maintenance ofnatural beauty is an axiom of the coastal management philosophy. The likelyhood of revetment related environmental consequences of significant magnitude was analysed using estimated probability values derived from Bavesian theory. The damaging impact of the structure on the natural environment is out of all proportion to the level of storm protection afforded to the site. Analyses, such as carried out via ERA, would have shown planners, engineers and environmentalists, the inadequacies of such an investment and management strategy. The ERA approach can help to introduce greater clarity and consistency into decision making processes.     

Prenatal diagnosis of CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental disorder in fetuses with congenital brain anomalies

We report two male fetuses born to a healthy unrelated couple, with agenesis of the corpus callosum identified on detailed 20-week ultrasound scans and confirmed by in-utero MRI. Whole-genome sequencing identified a likely pathogenic missense variant in the CLCN4 gene, establishing this as the causative gene in the family. Pathogenic variants in the CLCN4 gene cause a neurodevelopmental disorder (also called Raynaud-Claes syndrome) inherited in an X-linked pattern. The disorder is characterised by developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, mental health conditions, and significant feeding difficulties, predominantly, but not exclusively, affecting males. This is the first report of a prenatal phenotype associated with variants in the CLCN4 gene. The diagnosis of the CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental disorder in this family allowed accurate genetic counseling and discussion of reproductive choices. This leaves uncertainty about the possibility of a postnatal neurodevelopmental phenotype in heterozygous females, which we discuss.